MBA IN AGRIBUSINESS MANAGEMENT
BUILT TO CHANGE THE DNA OF AGRIBUSINESS

Agriculture remains the prime source of food, fibre, fuel, employment and income for vast majority of our population at the national and state level though its share in the GDP is on the decline. A good number of industries are also dependent on agriculture for feed stock as well as market for their finished products.

Green Revolution of the 60’s was a landmark in the history of Indian Agriculture. It had the saluting effect of virtually lifting India from a ‘Ship to Mouth’ situation to a state of self-sufficiency in food grains production. Food grains production leaped from 72 million tonnes in 1965-66 to 150 million tonnes in 1985-86 and 232 million tonnes in 2010-11. The whole thrust of Green Revolution, leveraged by advanced production technology (hybrid seeds, chemical fertilizers and pesticides), proactive policy environment (concessional credit, subsidies, support prices) and the determination of the progressive farmers.

However, the higher production and productivity attained through green revolution had marginal impact on the living standards of the small holders who constitute about 85 percent of the farming population as we failed to solder the production system with appropriate backward and forward linkages.

Agriculture sector is sending signals of deceleration or stagnation induced mainly by technology fatigue, soil fatigue and farmer fatigue. The productivity of food grains has remained stagnant in the last decade (2001-2010) growing at a CAGR of one percent compared to a growth rate of 2.4 percent in the previous decade. The headwinds of unbridled food inflation, rising population and holes in the food security cover make a clarion call for a second green revolution. Projections indicate that India’s population would cross 1.6 billion mark by 2050 resulting in food grain demand of 450 million tonnes, double the current production.

Inspite of these structural disabilities and policy flaws, thanks to liberalization and globalization Indian agriculture is undergoing a paradigm shift / metamorphosis.

Having sensed huge business opportunities in agro-food processing and agricultural commodities trade, foreign and domestic corporate investors are making substantial investments in the back and front ends of agriculture.

Contract farming, precision farming, organized food retailing, mega food parks, commodity futures, spot exchanges, Agri SEZS are a few verticals that are going to alter the face of Indian Agriculture.

The second green revolution will be propelled by ICT driven value chains, innovation, entrepreneurship and public – private partnerships.

This paradigm shift calls for the grooming of a battery of management professionals endowed with domain agricultural knowledge, embedded with management technology and empowered with right social skills.

The MBA programme of KAU is designed to change the DNA of agribusiness in India by meeting the human capital needs of the fast growing food and agribusiness enterprises in the country. The courseware and pedagogy of the programme have been developed by stalwarts from academia and industry.

Within a short span of time, KAUMBA has become a brand esteemed and admired by the industry. The programme is attracting students not only from other states but also from foreign countries. We have four students from Kenya, Malawi and Eritrea on our rolls.

It may be noted that the programme is offered by the best Sate Agricultural University in the country (recognition of ICAR). The faculty includes alumni from IIMs and guest faculty drawn from reputed management institutes, industries and institutions.